3. Oakland Raiders. Team needs: DL; S; TE. Pick: Sharrif Floyd, DT; Florida. Floyd is one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft because of his boundless athleticism and his upside. Quick off the ball, he can penetrate the backfield in the blink of an eye.

IRVING — Some time after 9 p.m. Thursday, the Cowboys will be on the clock with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

They’ll have 10 minutes to draft a player or make a trade.

But the Cowboys have a broader issue with a clock winding down. The team’s core players are in their 30s, and Dallas doesn’t have time to draft for the future.

This year’s draft is more critical than ever for the Cowboys because after back-to-back 8-8 seasons, they were only able to sign two middle-of-the-road free agents because of their lack of salary cap space.

If the Cowboys are going to make any significant upgrades to their roster, they’ll have to accomplish it in the draft. And they have only six picks over the next three days to make it happen.

The league’s salary cap is projected to remain relatively flat over the next two years, so the Cowboys’ situation won’t get much better any time soon.

“We’re a high-revenue team. Frankly, the cap that we have in place will work for us, but it presents challenges for us,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said earlier this week. “And, so, these young players who we’ve got, the younger ones who we draft, are a must to be productive just from the cap perspective.”

The Cowboys need three Day 1 starters from this draft class, but the odds of that happening are slim considering they have only six starters remaining from their last five drafts.

But it can be done. Just two years ago, the Cowboys’ first three picks became starters: offensive tackle Tyron Smith, linebacker Bruce Carter and running back DeMarco Murray.

The success of this year’s draft class begins and ends with how well the Cowboys fare Thursday with their first-round pick. So how do the Cowboys proceed?

The Cowboys’ primary needs are offensive line, defensive line and safety. And they catch a break because this year’s draft class is deep at those three positions. In fact, it’s not a reach to say that seven of the top 10 players this year are offensive or defensive linemen.

With few picks at their disposal, the Cowboys could look to trade down in the first round to add an additional selection for later in the draft.

However, this year’s draft lacks the big-name skill players. That’s left several teams looking to trade down and makes finding a trading partner that wants to trade up more difficult.

On Tuesday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told KZDC-AM in San Antonio that “it’s very possible” the Cowboys could trade out of the No. 18 pick.

“It’s a very unique draft,” Stephen Jones said. “In the 22 years I’ve been in the league, I don’t think I have ever seen a draft where it lacks the high-powered guys up at the top.”

Stephen Jones went on to say that it was basically 50-50 that the Cowboys actually stay at 18 to select a player.

There will be 32 first-round picks Thursday, but the Cowboys have first-round grades for only about half that many players.

That means by the time the Cowboys draft in the first round, all the players they feel are first-round worthy could be gone. With that in mind, Jerry Jones could be tempted to trade up again to get a player who the Cowboys see as first-round worthy.

That’s not an ideal situation, however, for a team with only six draft picks.

A year ago, the Cowboys were in position to trade up because they made a big splash in free agency. Adding seven players — including three starters — in free agency last year put the Cowboys in position to give up their second-round pick to St. Louis to move from 14th to sixth overall and select the first defensive player in 2012 in LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.

The Cowboys’ draft board is usually as strong as other teams’ in the league, but the question becomes can the unpredictable Jerry Jones stick to it. Will he spring from his seat to reach for a player?

“There’s enough depth in this draft that you sure want to keep your ears open for trades because you very well could get as good or a better player at another level,” the Cowboys owner said.

Whatever the Cowboys do, they can’t afford a repeat of 2009. All 12 players from that year’s draft class are gone.

The Cowboys believe they can improve next season just by getting healthy after a rash of injuries depleted the team’s roster a year ago, but Dallas has obvious depth concerns at several positions and must make the most of their picks this year.

“We’d love to get some guys who start for our football team in this draft,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “Again, we have to be realistic about that. Certainly in the first couple of rounds, you anticipate starting players. As you get in the middle and later rounds, hopefully you draft well and get some guys who can find a role and a starting role as soon as possible.”

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